Chapter 26: Justina Hammer
"Betty, could you hurry up?" Lance Ryder called impatiently toward the bedroom.
"Okay, okay! I'll be ready soon!" Betty Ross's voice came from inside.
Lance sighed and dropped onto the sofa.
Women and makeup—it always took forever. They would say they were almost finished, yet somehow another hour would pass.
Still, if a woman was willing to spend that much time dressing up just to go out with you, it was hard to complain too much.
To be honest, Lance wouldn't have asked Betty to accompany him tonight if he didn't need to connect with certain high-level figures.
If he had wanted company, he could easily have invited his neighbor Gwen Stacy instead.
Gwen was young, beautiful, and also the daughter of the New York Police Chief.
But when it came to influence and connections, Gwen couldn't compare to Betty Ross.
Most of Gwen's social circle consisted of wealthy second-generation kids and young political elites.
Betty, on the other hand, interacted with powerful women like Pepper Potts.
Since Betty clearly wasn't ready yet, Lance leaned back and started reviewing the plan he had discussed with Sunil Bakshi a few days earlier.
Overall, the situation had turned out better than he originally expected.
Although Norwich Energy Group was no longer under his direct control, the company had followed the development path he had designed decades ago.
It hadn't deviated much from his original plans.
The most important point was this:
Even though Irene Adler had stepped down as CEO and the company had gradually developed cross-shareholding relationships with other energy corporations, she still remained the largest shareholder.
Which meant that, in theory, the company still belonged to Lance.
If Irene Adler could be dealt with, Lance could reclaim control of the entire energy empire.
Even better—
Norwich Energy Group had very limited connections with Hydra.
It would be unrealistic to think there were none at all.
A corporation of that size would inevitably attract Hydra's attention.
But Irene Adler didn't know Hydra's true identity.
And the company itself had never become deeply involved with the darker side of the world.
That alone was a relief.
Organizations like Hydra, The Hand, or Advanced Idea Mechanics all sought to reshape the world's order.
If Norwich Energy Group had been entangled with forces like those, reclaiming it would have become extremely difficult.
Fortunately, the company had remained mostly clean.
Which meant Lance only needed to quietly regain control.
That plan depended heavily on something else.
The secret base in the Arctic.
Over the years, Norwich Energy Group had transferred many personnel from the secret base into corporate security roles.
As a result, only a small number of people remained at the facility.
If not for the critical secrets still hidden there, the base might have been abandoned long ago.
But that situation actually worked in Lance's favor.
It meant he could reclaim control of the base without attracting too much attention.
The Bakshi family had already contacted some of the personnel still stationed there.
Using Reinhardt's name, they had quietly begun reconnecting with former associates.
Once Lance appeared personally, they would be able to regain full control of the base.
Everything depended on timing.
For now, Lance couldn't leave New York.
Both the U.S. military and S.H.I.E.L.D. were still quietly observing him.
Besides, he still had important matters to handle here.
One of those matters was financial.
The Stark Industries Expo provided a perfect opportunity.
Lance had already instructed Sunil Bakshi to short Hammer Industries stock through accounts belonging to his Dutch family identity.
To be fair, many investors on Wall Street were extremely optimistic about Hammer Industries.
With Tony Stark appearing to struggle recently, and Colonel James Rhodes now possessing an Iron Man suit for the military, Justin Hammer's company seemed to be rising.
Hammer Industries had also announced the development of its own armored weapons.
Many people expected the company's stock to soar after tonight's presentation.
But Lance knew the truth.
By tomorrow—
Hammer Industries would collapse.
Meanwhile, Stark Industries would surge upward.
If the U.S. stock market didn't close at 4 p.m., Lance might have executed a far more aggressive strategy.
During Justin Hammer's grand presentation tonight, the company's stock value would likely reach its peak.
Shorting it at that exact moment would produce enormous profits.
Unfortunately, the expo event took place at night.
So that option wasn't available.
Another strategy would have been to buy Stark Industries stock heavily before the event.
Once the company rebounded tomorrow, the profits would be substantial.
But Lance had ultimately chosen the short-selling approach instead.
The potential profits were far greater.
Afterward, he could even buy large amounts of Hammer Industries stock at its lowest point.
From there, he could either break the company apart and reorganize it—
Or sell its remaining assets for a fortune.
Between the two options, Lance preferred the first.
Hammer Industries still possessed valuable infrastructure.
Rebuilding it as a new technology company would greatly benefit Reinhardt's long-term plans.
As for Stark Industries, it might be possible to profit from short-term investments.
But attempting to take control of it was unrealistic.
After all, Pepper Potts was now the CEO.
If Tony Stark trusted her with the company, it meant her abilities were exceptional.
Stark had spent enormous amounts of money developing his Iron Man technology over the years.
Without Pepper Potts managing the finances, that would have been impossible.
Despite all those massive expenditures, Stark Industries had remained stable.
That alone proved her skill.
Tonight would be a fascinating show.
Lance needed to be ready.
Unless Tony Stark somehow died at the hands of Ivan Vanko—which was extremely unlikely—the situation would unfold exactly as expected.
From Lance's previous meeting with Stark, it was obvious the man had already prepared a counterattack.
He was simply waiting for the right moment to bury his opponent.
Even if something unexpected happened, it wouldn't cause Lance any real losses.
As long as the drones created by Ivan Vanko didn't remain under Justin Hammer's control, everything would still work out.
And if things went wrong, Stark certainly wouldn't let Hammer benefit from it.
Either way—
It was a profitable investment.
Once the trade was completed, Lance's public identity would quietly become a billionaire.
Of course, the outside world would never know.
Even while driving toward Flushing, Lance continued thinking about it.
If something truly unexpected happened tonight, it might not be entirely bad.
It would mean the original timeline had begun to shift.
And that could help him escape Odin's influence.
Betty Ross finally emerged.
She wore a light gray off-shoulder dress that made her look elegant and refined.
When she entered the exhibition hall with her arm linked through Lance's, they immediately attracted attention.
People began quietly discussing Lance's identity.
The Stark Industries Expo had drawn nearly every major technology and industrial company in the United States.
Not only Hammer Industries, but also Oscorp, Pym Technologies, Roxxon Energy, and many other powerful corporations were present.
Even with Stark's recent struggles, the expo remained an enormous event.
Lance and Betty greeted many people as they moved through the crowd.
Yet strangely, Pepper Potts was nowhere to be seen.
Perhaps she was backstage discussing plans with Tony Stark.
Or perhaps she already knew exactly what was about to happen.
In fact, Lance suspected the latter.
Pepper understood Stark better than anyone.
Even if Stark hadn't given explicit instructions, she would still ensure Hammer Industries was destroyed tonight.
This event wasn't just a product launch.
It was a full-scale counterattack.
Not only against Hammer Industries—
But also against those within the military and Congress who had been coveting Stark's technology.
If Hammer Industries collapsed, Stark Industries would solidify its position as the industry leader once again.
Of course, many other companies were also waiting to seize Hammer's remaining assets.
Tonight's allies could easily become tomorrow's competitors.
Lost in thought, Lance eventually entered the Hammer Industries exhibition hall.
Even though the presentation hadn't officially started yet, the place was already packed.
"Betty!"
A female voice suddenly called from behind them.
Lance turned.
A young woman with gray-green hair, wearing a light green dress and sporting a nose ring, hurried over.
She looked rebellious and energetic.
"It's you, Justina!" Betty said in surprise.
"What are you doing here tonight? Does your father know?"
Justina shrugged casually.
"He's busy with his big business. He doesn't have time to worry about me."
She pulled a lollipop from her mouth and looked at Lance curiously.
"Who's this?" she asked.
"Your new boyfriend?"
Betty laughed awkwardly.
"His name is Daniel Zhou. He'll be your junior soon."
"Daniel, let me introduce you. This is Justina Hammer, a second-year student. And yes—she's the daughter of Justin Hammer, tonight's host."
As she spoke, Betty secretly gave Lance a meaningful glance.
She clearly understood why Lance had come tonight.
After all, her father General Ross had told her about the invitation Stark personally sent to Lance.
Knowing Lance's identity as a mage, it wasn't difficult to guess what he was planning.
"Hello, Senior Justina," Lance said with a polite smile.
"We came tonight to see Hammer Industries' newest products."
"If they really can replace Iron Man, the company's market value might skyrocket."
Justina stared at him for a moment.
Then she looked at Betty.
"Betty," she said bluntly, "why did you find such a boring guy? He talks like an old man."
Betty quickly waved her hands.
"He's not my boyfriend. He's my student."
"A student who hasn't even enrolled yet," Justina teased.
Her meaning was obvious.
Lance hadn't even started school yet, but Betty was already calling him her student.
Justina rolled her eyes.
"Relax, Betty," she said mischievously.
"School doesn't start for a few more days."
"You can announce he's your boyfriend now."
"And once classes begin, you can just say you broke up."
Teacher-student relationships were taboo everywhere.
Even when they existed, they were never made public.
Since Lance hadn't officially enrolled yet, no one would care.
"Enough about that," Betty said quickly, trying to change the subject.
"Your father's about to appear on stage."
Right on cue, the lights inside the exhibition hall dimmed.
Everyone knew what that meant.
The main event of the night—
Was about to begin.
End of Chapter 26
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